By now almost all of us are familiar with the self-service area at the post office – where you can pick up and drop off parcels 24 hours a day. But a ‘Paketbox’ parcel box can do even more than this. Especially if it is available as an open system for all delivery services, companies and private individuals in public space. The pilot project SoWAS (Skalierbares, offenes Waren-Austausch-System - Scalable Open Goods Exchange System) has set up its first box in Graz, with more to follow. This can be used via an app to pick up normal parcel deliveries or goods from local traders and also the keys to holiday apartments, to exchange or share tools with friends and neighbours, or simply as somewhere to store a purchase for a few hours. SoWAS is one of many new urban services that will make life in the city easier in the future – and which are designed to be open to new ideas for use.
SoWAS, from 2021
Institute of Logistics Engineering/Graz University of Technology, City of Graz
Project partners: Institute of Highway Engineering and Transport Planning, Graz University of Technology, KEBA AG, Prime Software GmbH, A1 Telekom Austria AG
Sponsored by FFG, as part of the ‘Mobility for the Future’ programme
